forbidden to love
by XxXroleplayismylifeXxX
Summary: Starting out as a means of survival. A forbidden love that could never be.


-Autumn Age 18 District 12 75th hunger games-

The morning of the reaping. I wake up and go to the kitchen and get the left over rabbit from the freezer box. Surprisingly mom is awake and she is fixing the fire in the coal fire place. Ever sense they killed dad, she has been distancing her self from me. She rarely speaks anymore if at all. It's okay. I can take care of my self fine. She smiles at me when I enter the living room again. I smile back at her and hand her a bit of rabbit and a piece of tessere bread.

"Your outfit is hanging on the clothes line in the back yard", she tells me.

I nod

"Okay", we eat in silence.

After I get dressed, a simple grey dress, mom and I head to the town square. As we walk, people acknowledge me. I force a smile at them. They may know of me. I recognize faces. I don't know them though. Not really. It's not that I don't want friends bu t, it is best that I don't know anyone that way, I won't have anyone to loose to the games. And nobody will have to worry about me either.

I line up with everyone else in my age group. I look ahead as Effie Trinkit, District 12's escort sense the end of time, or, sense I can remember, walks in her high healed shoes and gold outfit up to the stage. She sprays something out of a glass bottle. The spray has a smell to it. A weird sweet minty smell. She takes a breath.

"Welcome welcome to the 75th anual Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Sense this is a quarter quell, the twist is that only 18 year olds are allowed to be reaped. Least it saves the youngwr children...but still.

She recites her signature Ladies first quote and hops on over to the bowl with all the female tributes in it. My name is there at least 27 times. So the odds are not in my favor. But what ever. I love my mom to pieces and all but...it's a complicated type of love. I sigh and blink my eyes when I vaguely hear my name being called.

"Autumn Emery?" She calls again.

I force my legs that feel like stone bricks to move to the stage. I stand on one side of Effie. I glance at my mother's face who looks emotionless. I know better though. I see that her eyes are full of fear. Full of sadness. She knows and I know that I would not make it out alive. I give her a slight smile which she returns with a ghost of a smile of her own.

I feel a peace keeper pushing me to go inside the justice building. I catch a glimpse of the other tribute. A boy from the seam. I think his name is Jase or something? I forget. Before I can think of his name, I am pushed into the justice building. I sit on a chair and rub the sweat off my palms. Pretty soon, my mom walks in. She immediately hugs me so tight, I'm afraid she'll squish me to death. Kind of fitting conscidering where I am going. I can tell when we part that she has been crying.

"I'll be okay." I tell her. "You need to watch out for your self", I add.

She nods "I will", she says.

I nod and she is taken away. Aparently our time that they allow us to be with each other is shortened this year. I am shoved onto the train .

The train ride goes by in a blur. My mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, is a snide sarcastic jackass. But he did offer life saving advice. Stay away from the cornucopia. Though, I am sure I can make it past the blood bath with a weapon. Before I know it is time for the games.

The morning of the games, I am dreased in pants and a shirt with a jacket. I am sure that we will have cold weather. I am led onto the platform and it sends me up. Bright sunlifht fills my vission. I have to blink my eyes several times tocadjust to the light. I get used to it abd look around me. I botice a boy...from dustrict two I think glance at me. I don't know why I think he is cute but I do.

_Stop Autmn, you are trying to survive. Not meet your boyfriend. Stop that._

I look around me and see we are on top of a hill over looking a valley. At the beginning of the valley is the cornucopia. After that is a large abandon city simular to the capital's city. Beyond that is moutains and forest. My sanctuary. Though with miles of city, it must be half a day's journey at least. I look at the cornupia for anything that I can use...I see a set of three knives next to a full looking backpack. Good. I could use that. I focous on that. Run for that. Get the backpack. I look to the city. I'll start out in the city and make my way to the edge of the city to the forest where I can find food. Hopefully I get good stuff in the backpack. I look down at the valley. I ready my feet as the final fifteen secconds remain on the clock.

The gong sounds and I am off. I sprint off of my platform and am ar rhe bottom in no time at all. I duck my head as a knife wizzes past me. I grab a couple knives and swing the backpack over my shoulder. I run into the city away from the blood bath.

I keep running, trying to stay on a straight path. Making turns would one, get you lost and turned in circles, and two, you waste more energy that way. My main goal is making it out of the city and to the woods and moutains. Familliar territory.

I look ahead of me and see the moutains in the distance. I also keep my eyes and ears open for any others. I can bet the careers are all still at the cornucopia splitting up what's left over. They are the only ones who pose a real threat. But I'm not about to count my chickens before they hatch either. I keep at a steady pace my boots silently running along the paved streets. In seemingly no time at all, clouds of dust start kicking up. I finnally made it to the woods at last. I find a tall oak. I look up and see that it has lots of braches. Good coverage. I climb the tree like I saw Katniss Everdeen do in her games. She made it out as a victor. When I get to the top, I swing my backpack to the front of me. I open it up and put the knife in it. I see that I got a medal canteen, half full of water, a small wooden box with a latch on it. I open the box and it has a baggy with strips of beef. I also see about three feet of bandage, a hand full of q tips, and a pack of matches. I close the box and put it back. I also find an ax, and a few sticks. Huh. I open the canteen up and take a few drinks of water. I close it up and put it back. I zip up the pack and hold the ax in my hand. I lean against the tree holding my breath as I hear ruslting in the bushes. I hear footsteps abd glance down seeing that it's a brutal looking guy. I think I seen him in the footage if district two. There were not allowed volunteers this year sense it was all 18 year olds that were to be reaped.

"I know you're up there twelve!" He shouts looking up at me. "I saw you train. You were pretty good. How'd you get the nine?"

I narrow my eyes. "What's it to you?" I ask not getting down from the tree.

"Well, if I want you to be my ally, I wanna know if you are good. Wgat do ya say?"

I sigh waying my options...

I finnally decide to let him be my ally. I climb down.

"Okay." I tell him. "Allies."

What do I have to loose?


End file.
